David Axelrod: Democrats Own Racial Tokenism

June 11, 2012

Every so often, prominent liberals unwittingly divulge their true ideology in its raw ugliness. And when that happens, America must sit up and take note. It is not the flowery assurances of “social justice” or the promised bestowal of goodies from government coffers that motivates them, but the accrual of power that they expect to enjoy as a result. In reality, they have absolutely no intention of uplifting the “little guy,” but rather seek to keep him in his present condition, always awaiting a change of circumstances after the next impending election, as long as he dutifully sells his votes to the Democrats.

When Barack Obama uttered his “bitter clingers” statement back in 2008 at a private fundraiser in San Francisco, he likewise demonstrated the genuine contempt he holds towards America. In his world, those who have built the bridges and skyscrapers, grown the crops, toiled in the mines, and paved Main Street resent the influx of illegal aliens not because they are here in violation of the law and have no stake in the nation’s future, but because they look different from the rest of us. According to liberals, the divisions among Americans are strictly the byproduct of various physical characteristics. Thus the left insidiously perpetuates its caste system to its own political advantage, while remaining indifferent to its detriment of the nation as a whole.

In an interview this week on Univision, a Spanish speaking TV network, senior advisor David Axelrod brazenly made this point by disparaging the possibility of Mitt Romney picking Marco Rubio (R.-FL), the son of Cuban immigrants, as his running mate. According to Axelrod such a choice would be “an insult” to Hispanics. Romney, we must understand, has not toed the Democrat party line of catering to minorities as perennial “victims.” He likewise opposed the whole “amnesty” agenda, and the stealth attempt at implementing amnesty, known as the “Dream Act.”

Forget all of Senator Rubios’ other sterling qualities. His steadfast conservative voice is of no consequence. His stunning oratory in support of his conservatism means nothing at all. This is the world according to liberals. Racial classification trumps every other consideration. From Axelrod’s far left perspective, the only possible asset that Rubio could bring to the Romney campaign is that of his ethnicity.

Ultimately, Axelrod is exhibiting the real disdain he and his kind hold for all Americans, whether or not they can be categorized as minorities. An America united by its common culture and heritage is of little value to the liberal political machine that is first and foremost self-serving. Only if “We the People” is subdivided and Balkanized by leftist racial panderers can the liberal elite hope to ride in as the great benefactors of the helpless peasantry which, in their arrogant minds, is the reality of this country.

It is altogether unfortunate that some still cannot recognize the insidious nature of this ongoing effort to maintain a permanent American underclass, the real purpose of which is to maximize the political clout of the Democrat Party. Rather than providing any means of advancement for those truly in need, the agenda of the entrenched Democrat leaders is designed to preserve the societal maladies that have devastated America, and in particular, its minority communities. And any time a viable effort is made to improve things, it is those same liberal/Democrat patrons who will do their utmost to ensure that no improvements occur.

Out in “flyover country,” far from the callous indifference of Beltway liberals, a sincere attempt to open doors of opportunity for the disadvantaged is being pursued by Bobby Jindal, the conservative Republican Governor of Louisiana. Through Governor Jindal’s tireless efforts, a school voucher program has been established in his state, by which parents can opt to send their children to private schools, utilizing the funding that would otherwise have gone into public “education.” When fully implemented, it will liberate major portions of Louisiana’s youth population from the ideological and academic wastelands of the government school system. So of course the liberal political machine vehemently opposes it.

“Mainstream” media reports of the program have been predictably alarmist, and hopelessly biased. In a June 1, 2012 Reuters editorial, bogusly presented as a “news” story, readers were deluged with not-so-subtle warnings of the horrors of private schools that teach “Bible based math,” and science classes that do not fixate on evolution. All of the fear mongering notwithstanding, does anyone doubt that a pupil thus educated would not only be capable of balancing a budget, but could also understand the moral imperative of doing so? More significantly, the involvement of parents in the decision to send their children to such places is of little consequence to those who believe it is the duty of the ruling class to determine where children are educated, and whose ideology is instilled in them.

Minorities are particularly likely to reap real gain from Jindal’s endeavor. It is inarguable that the nation’s worst schools are found in minority neighborhoods, and for reasons that have far more to do with the skewed priorities of the education bureaucracy. Therefore a ticket out, and the promise of a good education at a private school, could only work to the betterment of minority children who are otherwise condemned to a public school “education” that is abysmally lacking. Once again, the prospect of offering such opportunity to these children is abhorrent to liberal politicians.

Other opponents of the voucher program warn of the loss of revenues to government schools as a result of the money being diverted to competing private schools. In truth, every such effort to oppose Governor Jindal is a flagrant attempt to put the interests of the public “education” bureaucracy above the well-being of the students and, in the long run, the future of the nation.

Once the dust settles, the people of Louisiana, and indeed the entire country will be faced with only one workable option. In America’s currently struggling economy, the choice is to maximize students’ learning, thereby giving them the skills to be valued employees once they graduate, or to spend exorbitant sums of money and years of their time saturating them in identity politics and convincing them that their only future is to stand in Barack Obama’s soup lines.

Christopher G. Adamo is a resident of southeastern Wyoming and has been involved in state and local politics for many years. He writes for several prominent conservative websites, and has written for regional and national magazines. He is currently the Chief Editorial Writer for The Proud Americans, an advocacy group for America’s seniors, and for all Americans. His contact information and article archives can be found at www.chrisadamo.com, and he can be followed on Twitter @CGAdamo.